The wide array of London’s gastronomic choice is now complemented by the opening of Pomona, an all-day, L.A. style restaurant in the heart of the affluent and cosmopolitan London borough of Notting Hill. This new London venue is a space full of natural light that pours in through large windows, enhancing its vibrant colours, giving it an inviting atmosphere in which to experience a taste of sunny California (London is all about experiences at the moment). It comprises a restaurant and bar, as well as a conservatory and verdant courtyard that will certainly play a central role in the warmer months to come, if last summer is anything to go by.

The décor has an unmistakably ‘Pop Art’ touch: chairs in bright orange and green, turquois-blue and canary yellow that contrast with the odd pale yellow walls. The interior, designed by Sundae Design Studio, was inspired by David Hockney’s 1970’s Malibu period. The tropical atmosphere is enhanced by abundant greenery: hanging pot plants are suspended above the restaurant, and cactuses in the conservatory’s window ledges complement Pomona’s colourful chairs, steel-top tables and birch-wood bench seats.

This decoration goes hand in hand with the food: Executive Chef Gareth Sanderson has travelled along America’s West Coast in search of inspiration to create the menu, consisting of carefully selected and locally sourced fresh produce, with a focus on the healthy, clean and tasty flavours so typical of that part of the States. The menu includes snacks and small plates that sound very tasty: steak tartare, shredded kimchi, lardo toast and celery sprouts; or Kumomoto oysters with cocktail sauce, horseradish and mignonette; main dishes like Sea bass, saffron pearl couscous, and cilantro gremolata; Crispy pork belly, mojo de ajo, smoked polenta and winter leaf salad; casual dishes such as Soft shell crab and bacon burger; Chargrilled bloody steak sandwich on sourdough with argula and kimchi mayo, or Grilled cheese on brioche; and sweets including Caramelised croissant and prune pie with crème anglaise and Valrhona chocolate cremeux, olive oil and truffle salt.

The stunning American bar at Pomona, headed by Kestutis Stirba (formerly Head Bartender at Gordon Ramsey Restaurants), offers a list of cocktails well worthy of such a California-inspired place: Pineapple Fizz with vodka, fresh pineapple, jalapeno and ginger ale; White chocolate daiquiri with rum, green Chartreuse, Lillet, white cacao and lime or Blackberry cosmopolitan with gin, orange curaçao, lemon and blackberries. There is also a comprehensive range of West-Coast-heavy wines, beers and fizz.

SEEN welcomes this new lively restaurant and their gastronomic choices, based around health and freshness, which is reflected in the great ambience of Pomona in Notting Hill.

SEEN thoroughly enjoyed a preview of the 18 new artworks around the financial district’s square mile. Set up by The City of London in 2010, this excellent initiative expands its footprint every year, improving the area and proving that when people are happy, they work better.

The astute reader will have noticed that SEEN loves art about London. There are many artists in this city who draw (pun intended) their inspiration from it, none more so than Alex Evans whose fractal renderings hint at the entropic nature of urban life and perhaps also our anxieties and isolation in the 21st century. His latest exhibition ‘Invisible Systems’ can be seen at the Foundry Gallery, tucked away off the King’s Road until 26th October.

SEEN has been here, there and everywhere this week, what with London Fashion Week and the London Design Festival coinciding, but was determined not to miss a glimpse of the #DRAWFASHION exhibition that was going on at 18 Broadwick Street, Soho.

This summer marked 50 years since the psychedelic ‘Summer of Love’ of 1967. There wasn’t much evidence of a celebration in London however – maybe Highgate is just too far removed from Haight-Ashbury. However, in the neo-classical splendour of Somerset House recently, one Sixties icon attracted a huge crowd outdoors for its own fiftieth anniversary, even as the heavens opened.

The great thing about London is the astonishing variety of fringe theatre here. SEEN ventured into the Isle of Dogs to see Elixir at The Space. If you haven’t been to this excellent venue, do go. As well as the theatre space there’s an excellent bar called Hubbub above. It’s a much-loved cultural community venue.

Readers of SEEN will know that we are huge fans of Alex Evan’s liminal renderings of London. Now he has furthered his artistic practice with a residency in Tower Bridge itself. His exquisite pen and ink drawings, plus new work consisting of 2D contour drawings, digital print-making, and 3D pieces in Portland stone (one of …

So that’s what’s behind all the hoardings in Victoria! Shiny new offices and on the ground floor, a plethora of bars and restaurants that makes the whole area seem rather upscale. There was a time when eateries around a station felt down-at-heel quite quickly but SEEN suspects London’s dining game has been substantially upped by all this new development.

SEEN learns with joy that Monday 11th September to Sunday 17th September is the first official London Mezcal Week, in which Londoners and visitors to this fair city have the opportunity to enjoy Mexican mezcal, culture, art and food that involves a two-day tasting festival and Mexico Independence Day celebrations.

Heading into Soho for a breakfast meeting? SEEN wasn’t, but had fun checking out 100 Wardour Street. It was quiet on the streets and very pleasant to take a breather as Soho woke up. Funnily enough, I’d seen the bustling cocktail and live music haunt that 100 is at night, but had no idea it also catered for the breakfast crowd.

SEEN thought Yorgos Lanthimos’s last film The Lobster was a daring piece of cinema; chilling and upsetting in a very real sense, and his new film The Killing of a Sacred Deer out on November 17th looks set to top even that for psychological horror.

SEEN favourite and up-and-coming artist Tom Cox is part of art collective Urban Soup who will be presenting A River Runs Through It at Oxo Gallery on London’s bustling South Bank from September 6th – 10th. The exhibition will capture the mercurial nature of the city and its iconic landscapes.

SEEN loves interactive theatre and is thrilled to hear that acclaimed stage designer Takis, celebrated creators of site specific theatre Teatro Vivo and renowned theatre company ice and fire – known for their use of performance to explore human rights issues – will join forces this September to present a brand new theatrical experience: part …

Half of London is behind bars and the other half is leaning on them… As if to prove this, a new immersive and interactive cocktail experience starts doing its time on 28th September for three months: Alcotraz.